Opinions of Primary School Teachers in Relation to Effectiveness and Applicability of Design Skill Workshops

Abstract

General purpose of this research is to determine the opinions of primary school teachers on the
effectiveness and applicability of the studies conducted in relation to Design Skills Workshops (TBA). The
participants of the study, designed according to the phenomenology research model, are 20 teachers who
work in one of the primary schools that are pilot in the use of TBAs. Research data were collected by using
a semi-structured interview form. According to the findings, generally the teachers consider the use of
TBAs in education as a positive development for the Turkish education system, but they think that it is
difficult to apply them in all schools throughout the country. While almost all of the teachers consider that
the training given by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education for the use of TBAs is
insufficient, all of the teachers found the studies of the school administration for the use of TBAs sufficient.
Teachers actively use all the workshops in the school, except for the wood, garden and animal care
workshops, in almost all lessons. Teachers stated that the use of TBAs mostly enabled students to develop
collaborative learning, creative thinking and hand skills. According to the teachers, the use of TBAs
enables teachers to associate the lessons with each other more, to do more research and to prepare more
detailed lesson plans while performing their teaching. According to the results, most of the teachers do not
consider that TBAs are applicable throughout the country because of the crowded class sizes, the teachers’
not having enough knowledge about using TBAs, and the physical conditions’ not being sufficient. Among
the proposals made by teachers regarding arrangements to be made in relation to TBAs before
disseminating them throughout the country, having collaboration among teachers responsible from design
skills workshops and among these teachers and class teachers comes at the forefront. Providing longer-term
training for teachers on how TBAs should be used is another most recommended issue.